Alberta 2S/LGBTQ+ Connection: A Zine by and for Rural Folks

Life for rural queer and trans folks can often feel isolating

It can be hard to stay connected in a rural area. Rural 2S/LGBTQ+ folks are more vulnerable to isolation if they cannot form connections with their surrounding community, which can worsen other aspects of their mental health and overall well-being.

In 2021-20222, Do You Mind? focused on the mental health of queer and trans folks living in rural areas or who have rural backgrounds because they often lack access to mental health services. Through a series of workshops and submissions from rural community members, the zine Alberta 2S/LGBTQ+ Connection: A Zine by and for Rural Folks was made. The zine features art and writings from rural queer and trans folks across our province.

Throughout the zine, submissions of writing, poetry, and art explore the meaning of gender and sexual identity in rural spaces and in people with rural backgrounds. The entries explore a diversity of 2S/LGBTQ+ experiences, the ups and downs, and the ways in which the creators find comfort, meaning, love, and joy.

Alberta 2S/LGBTQ+ Connection: A Zine by and for Rural Folks is a collaboration between Do You Mind?, staff from the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), and the QTHC. Do You Mind? is an Alberta-based HEAL program that builds individual and community capacity to respond to community mental health challenges through health promotion strategies that are developed by and for 2S/LGBTQ+ people. Through an intersectional lens, participants engage with a number of sessions focused on 2S/LGBTQ+ mental health and community-based health promotion.

You can learn more about the Do You Mind? program here! If you seek support for your own mental health, below are some 2S/LGBTQ+ friendly mental health resources you can access.

Brite Line

Kids Help Phone

Trans Lifeline

Canadian Mental Health Association

  • Edmonton Region 24/7 Distress Line: 780-482-HELP (4357)

  • Rural Distress Line: 1-800-232-7289

QTHC – The Queer & Trans Health Collective is a grassroots health organization run by and for the queer and trans community.

CBRC – The Community-Based Research Centre promotes the health of gay, bi, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer men (GBT2Q) through research and intervention development.

 
 

Do You Mind? – Do You Mind? is a community mental health leadership program for 2SLGBTQ+ young adults, delivered in partnership by QTHC & CBRC

got questions? Let’s Connect!

The QTHC is based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ) within Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting ground and home of the Nêhiyaw (Cree), Denesuliné (Dene), Nahkawininiwak (Saulteaux), Niitsítapi (Blackfoot), and Îyârhe Nakoda (Nakota Sioux), as well as nations not represented by the treaty, and is located in Region 4 of the Métis Nation of Alberta. We commit to engaging in an ongoing process of decolonization, and will strive to conduct our work in an anti-oppressive and anti-racist way, working towards equity, empowerment, and inclusion for all Two Spirit, queer, trans, and non-binary people.